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December 2, 2015 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2

politics \ p4

Alert level drops

The Winter Wonders Christmas market in Brussels opens on time as the terrorist threat level drops back to 3 \2

BUSiNESS \ p6

innovation \ p7

Strange days

Bruges whisks you back in time more literally than ever, with a device that lets you see the city as it looked in the middle ages \7

education \ p9

art & living \ p10

For shame

The Dr Guislain Museum in Ghent hosts another dramatic, wide-reaching show about an emotion no one on earth can escape \ 14

Breaking the taboo

KU Leuven project tackles mental-health statistics by getting students talking Bjorn Gabriels More articles by Bjorn \ flanderstoday.eu

The University of Leuven has launched the project MindMates, which seeks to combat a worrying trend in mental health problems among students in higher education.

n the autumn of 2014, the Student Health Centre at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) launched MindMates, a peer-supported campaign to promote emotional well-being and suicide prevention among students. The project was recently kick-started by a symposium topped off with concerts by Tom Helsen and Pieter Embrechts, in addition to a string of workshops and other activities. MindMates has caught the eye of the Flemish media and, more importantly, local students. Raising awareness around mental health problems is a crucial first step. At the same time, these efforts also touch upon one of the many paradoxes that surround the subject. In recent years, we have been served a steady diet of suicide rates and other alarming indications. Despite this level of information, and many a campaign to address the issues at hand, emotional problems remain a taboo in Flanders. The MindMates homepage introduces visitors to a set of startling figures. A four-year study into the emotional well-being of KU Leuven students shows that one in five struggles with at least occasional depression, and that one out of 10 has thought about suicide. “Our research indicates that there are a lot of emotional problems among students, and that suicidal behaviour is common,” says Marleen Gheldof, a psychotherapist at the Student Health Centre in Leuven and co-ordinator of the new initiative. “We also know that young adults are less likely to seek help than other age categories. All of that creates a very dangerous mix.”

Young adults are less likely to seek help than other age categories Statistically, students run no higher risk of mental health issues than their peers who aren’t pursuing higher education. In the university’s student newspaper Veto, professor Ronny Bruffaerts of the Research Group Psychiatry put the conclusions of the new results into perspective. “It’s remarkable how the risk of emotional problems later in life increases as one’s date of birth is more recent,” Bruffaerts wrote. “Someone born in 1980 runs a greater risk than someone born in 1970. This trend continues to rise and is a global phenomenon.” With these statistics in mind, it’s also important to distinguish between being at risk for mental disorder and actually suffering from a mental disorder. Nevertheless, the research once again demonstrated that the situation needed to be addressed. “The MindMates programme has grown out of our desire to do better at preventing suicide and promoting emotional well-being,” says Gheldof. “We all know the figures, but there’s still a strong need to break the silence. We also want students to talk to each other when they’re feeling down.”

continued on page 5

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Threat level returns to 3

Winter Wonders opens as Brussels’ terrorist threat level is brought back down Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

he terrorist threat level in Brussels has been reduced from the maximum level of 4 to level 3, in line with the rest of Belgium. Level 3 signifies “a probable serious threat against a person, group or event”. An additional arrest was also made in Brussels late last week in connection with the Paris attacks, and the man was due to appear in court as Flanders Today went to press. The detention of two other suspects was confirmed for a month by the court. Level 3 was in operation at the time of the attacks in Paris last month, though there will be some changes from the previous level 3. The capital’s metro is now fully operational, but the service is running only from 6.00 to 22.00. A military presence in metro stations and on the streets is being maintained. Major events are being considered on a caseby-case basis by the home affairs ministry’s crisis centre. Concerts at some of the main venues, including Flagey and AB, were cancelled (or postponed) last weekend. The Christmas market, Winter Wonders, long the subject of speculation as to whether it would be allowed to open last week as planned, did open on schedule. “The situation remains serious,” said prime minister Charles Michel, “but, according to the indications of the security services, the threat is no longer imminent.” In the federal parliament, a temporary committee was created to follow the evolution of the measures announced last month on terrorism and radicalisation. The committee is chaired by Koen Metsu (N-VA), and its members include Françoise Schepmans, mayor of Molenbeek,

and Hans Bonte, mayor of Vilvoorde. The terror alert for Brussels had been at level 4 since a week after the Paris attacks of 13 November. The threat level was maintained while police worked to round up suspected terrorists. The main suspect, Salah Abdeslam, thought to have taken part in the Paris attacks, is still at large. Authorities believed they had sound intelligence of the preparation of an attack in Brussels similar to those in Paris, where leisure activities were particularly targeted. “If someone has been able to remain at large until now, we have to conclude he’s receiving support,” said home affairs minister Jan Jambon.

Police operations – including 16 arrests from 22 searches during the weekend of 14 November – resulted in a major attack being thwarted, Jambon claimed, although the prosecutor’s office has not released details. “These matters are very sensitive, and too many details could put everything at risk,” Jambon said. It was decided to re-open schools and underground public transport last Wednesday. Some schools had planned to take children in despite there being no lessons, but they were ordered to shut down completely. The federal government will discuss the huge economic cost of the level 4 operation at a later date. (See related story, p6)

In the meantime, federal labour minister Kris Peeters has announced that companies in Brussels will be able to claim unemployment for their staff on grounds of force majeure. That allows a company to declare its workers technically unemployed when they cannot carry out their jobs for reasons beyond the company’s control – in this case either because of a lack of public transport or because their children could not go to school. Workers are then paid a small unemployment benefit by the state employment office. Meanwhile, the independent committee that oversees police matters issued a damning report on the force in charge of the Molenbeek commune, where several of the suspects in the Paris attacks are from. The Committee P report described officers as having no contact with the community, not being familiar with certain areas and even demonstrating “anxiety with the surroundings”. The report was drawn up last year, long before Molenbeek became the centre of national and international attention as a key base for radical Islamists. Committee P criticised the police of Zone West for still maintaining “no-go areas,” claiming that the gulf between police and residents is growing wider. The committee suggested more routine police presence on the streets of Molenbeek, including when there are no crimes in progress, and that the force should show concern for the everyday problems of the residents.

Staff shortage at psychiatric internment centre in Ghent According to a report by Flemish daily newspaper De Morgen, the Forensic Psychiatric Centre (FPC) in Ghent is suffering from a shortage of staff 18 months after opening. FPC Gent opened in 2014 as a detention centre for mentally ill prisoners. Until then, prisoners with psychiatric problems in Belgium were housed in ordinary prisons, a situation criticised on multiple occasions by the European Court for Human Rights. One such prisoner, convicted rapist and murderer Frank Van den Bleeken, decided to be euthanised rather than live the

rest of his life without treatment. His request was approved but postponed when he was found a place in FPC Gent (pictured). The centre, with 248 places, is now full, but there is a shortage of staff, according to an in-depth study carried out by De Morgen reporter Sara Vandekerckhove. Staff number 207, and their duties include group and individual therapy and administration of drugs as well as everyday activities such as meals, trips outside the centre, administration and treatment reports. According to staff, the prisoners themselves

are feeling the pressure, which runs the risk of a dangerous situation developing. “The moment someone goes off sick or on holiday, we are no longer able to carry out our core tasks,” one staff member told the paper. “It’s accurate to say that we sometimes have a shortage of personnel,” admits Mia Mol, director of patient care. “At moments like that, the safety of our staff is central. If there are not enough staff to accompany an aggressive patient on an outing, then the outing does not take place.” Two more such psychiatric centres are

1,907

planned for Belgium; an Antwerp location is currently under construction. \ AH

146kg

years since the theft of a priceless 15th-century flagon from the former Bijloke museum in Ghent, now the STAM. It was returned last week after being found at an antiques dealer in Amsterdam

fpcgent.be

former employees of Ford Genk, about one in three of the workforce, has a full-time job one year after the plant’s closure. 1,830 are not looking for work because of a bridging pension or invalidity

of household waste produced per capita in Flanders in 2015, the lowest level since 1991. Parts of Flemish Brabant and the Antwerp Kempen came in under 100kg

drivers involved in a massive chain collision on the A19 in 2013 were acquitted on appeal after being found guilty of careless driving when a bank of fog descended on the road

68% fewer shoppers in central Brussels during the weekend of 21-22 November, when the terror alert level 4 was in operation, according to retail consultancy The Retail Store

december 2, 2015

WEEK in brief

face of flanders

Belgium will still have to wait for their first ever Davis Cup win after Andy Murray inspired Britain to victory in the final of the prestigious trophy in Ghent on Sunday. Murray beat Belgium’s David Goffin to clinch the decisive point, giving the visitors an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie. Murray’s sameday victory over Ruben Bemelmans and his doubles win on Saturday with brother Jamie against Goffin and Steve Darcis secured the points to give Britain their first Davis Cup triumph since 1936.

Flemish media have little recourse to paparazzi photos or rumours, mainly to ensure good working relations with the stars.

The CEO, chair and leading investor family of Kinepolis cinema group have been found guilty by the financial markets regulator FSMA of insider trading, after investigation of a series of suspicious transactions at the end of 2011. The FSMA cited a lack of criminal intent, so the individuals in question have not been penalised, while two companies in their control have been fined €200,000 and €15,000. All parties intend to appeal.

Electrical and cable company Infrax is launching a test project to offer free public wi-fi in six Flemish municipalities – Diest, Diksmuide, Genk, Hasselt, Neerpelt and Torhout. By the end of 2016, the project should be in place in all 91 municipalities with a cable network run by Infrax.

The federal food safety agency has withdrawn 32 products from shop shelves this year because of mislabelling of allergy information. The products include couscous, herbs and biscuits, with customers asked to bring their purchases back to the shop because labels did not notify shoppers of the presence of eggs, celery or nuts, all important allergens. In some cases, the label could be fixed with an extra sticker; in others, the product had to be binned at a heavy cost to manufacturers. Flemish media report on the professional lives of celebrities more often than on their private lives, according to a survey carried out by the media watchdog VSM. In 54% of stories about celebrities, their work is the main subject, compared to 24% on their private lives. A huge majority of articles – 84% – treat the subject in a neutral fashion rather than sensationally. The

OFFSIDE OTT with the IV

Supermarket chain Carrefour has launched its new Visa Flex, a debit card linked to a bank account. The system will allow contactfree payments in stores where the card is accepted, including Carrefour supermarkets and Express branches. The card costs €6 and €1.50 a month thereafter.

The Flemish parliament has extended local and regional radio licences until the end of 2017. The licences run out in 2016, but the parliament claimed the procedure is too complex to be certain of having completed it by that deadline. Questions include how to ensure the survival of local stations while improving quality and whether to allow new commercial stations. A group of chemical and related companies are opening a collective site in the port of Ghent in 2017, joining together to share facilities and reduce administrative obstacles. The Dockland site is the brainchild of planning expert Georges Allaert and entrepreneur Luc Seminck, as a means of helping meet strict European norms for chemicals sites. Dockland will take 20 hectares of the Kuhlmann site, currently undergoing an industrial cleaning after years of producing sulphuric acid. A plan to find another purpose for the Justice Palace in Brussels

has been scrapped, federal minister Jan Jambon said. A competition to solicit ideas from the public brought a wide variety of suggestions: the building could house a museum or a concert hall, or introduce a shopping gallery on the lower floor. But the government has decided to renovate the building and bring back many of the services that have been moved to other premises, Jambon said, with a view to saving some €20 million a year in rent for external offices. Federal consumer affairs minister Kris Peeters has warned insurance companies that life and other insurance policies linked to lifestyle could be in breach of privacy legislation. Peeters was reacting to news in recent weeks of companies offering attractive insurance terms based on lifestyle or driving behaviour, using monitoring software in cars or in smartwatches. He warned that tariffs must remain affordable for all and plans talks with the industry on the limits imposed by data protection laws. Bert Bultinck has been appointed to succeed Jörgen Oosterwaal as editor-in-chief of Knack Magazine and Knack Focus. Bultinck is currently deputy editor at De Standaard. At the same time, An Meskens takes over from Annelies Roebben as editor of Story magazine. Meskens steps over from Dag Allemaal, where for the last four years she has been deputy editor. De Persgroep, owners of Dag Allemaal, took over Story earlier this year. A group of railway ticket inspectors protested against staff shortages last week by handing in their ticket clippers. The inspectors, in Kortrijk, Oudenaarde and Zottegem, continued to accompany their trains to ensure safety, however. The NMBS rail authority has proposed solutions, but they will only be felt on the ground next summer, the ACOD union complains.

Jessica Mantoni The new edition of Studio Brussel’s charity fundraiser Music for Life launched last week under this year’s slogan Iedereen zorgt voor Iedereen (Everyone takes care of each other). Among all the publicity, one thing stands out: the smiling face of a woman with no hair. She is Jessica Mantoni, from Beringen in Limburg, and she suffers from alopecia universalis, a disorder thought to be of the immune system, which causes the rapid loss of all hair, including eyelashes and eyebrows. It’s the more extensive version of its cousin alopecia totalis, which only affects hair on the head. Mantoni, 28, will be raising money for Madena, a hair clinic in Geel, just across the border in Antwerp province, during the Music for Life campaign. Mantoni is a kleuterjuf, which means she teaches kids in preschool. She’s been hair-free, let us say, since the age of 11, but it was only this academic year that she started coming to school without one of her wigs. The children, as you might expect, were

dewarmsteweek.stubru.be

intrigued – but quite non-judgemental, she said. The public reacts very differently to women with no hair than they do to men, said Mantoni in 2011, when she took part in a photo exhibition designed to break the taboo. “Without a scarf on my head, I just can’t go out the door. People don’t realise a woman can become bald without wanting to. They don’t think about it, so it seems strange to them.” As part of her mission to sort out people’s thinking on this matter, she also blogs for Madena, which deals with all sorts of hair issues, including alopecia. She’d met the owner while preparing to take part in a beauty contest. While the other contestants lined up to get their hair done, Mantoni was fitted with what the industry prefers to refer to as a haarwerk, or hairpiece – the word “wig” sounds too much like a Carnival, she noted. The public can donate to any organisation taking part in Music for Life, or start fundraising activities of their own. Visit the website for complete information. \ Alan Hope

Flanders Today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the Flemish Region and is financially supported by the Flemish authorities.

WWW.PORTOFANTWERP.COM

“A baxter is not a bag of water. It’s mediThe team carried out a survey among 200 cation, with side effects, and potentially doctors in 40 countries and found that dangerous ones.” 30% of those used the wrong fluid withA baxter, or IV infusion, is used by out realising it. “Often they don’t know hospital staff to administer medicaany better,” Van Regenmortel said. tions or simply liquids to patients, Last week the pair hosted some 500 and doctors Manu Mabrain and Niels health professionals in Antwerp for the Van Regenmortel of Antwerp’s Stuivenfifth International Fluid Academy Sympoberg Hospital have launched a campaign sium, where they tackled such thorny around them. Research among 20,000 topics as “Is it really impossible to avoid patients in intensive care units showed that fluid overload by using only crystalloids?” those who did not survive had been administered and “Is there still a definitive place for human © Ingimage on average five litres more fluid than those who did. albumin?” “There are only three good reasons to employ an IV,” “Patients consider it completely normal to get an IV said Dr Van Regenmortel. “To patients in shock followwhen they are admitted to hospital, the pair said. ing a trauma whose fluids are imbalanced; in cases of “Doctors do, too. And therein lies the problem. Too dehydration as a result of vomiting or diarrhoea; and much or the wrong fluid in a baxter can do more harm to those who are unable to drink.” than good. If you get too much fluid, you can die.” \ AH

The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr 815.088). The editorial team of Flanders Today has full editorial autonomy regarding the content of the newspaper and is responsible for all content, as stipulated in the agreement between Corelio Publishing and the Flemish authorities.

Editor Lisa Bradshaw DEPUTY Editor Sally Tipper CONTRIBUTING Editor Alan Hope sub Editor Linda A Thompson Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino Art director Paul Van Dooren Prepress Mediahuis AdPro Contributors Rebecca Benoot, Bartosz Brzezi´nski, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Katy Desmond, Andy Furniere, Diana Goodwin, Julie Kavanagh, Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Katrien Lindemans, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Daniel Shamaun, Senne Starckx, Christophe Verbiest, Denzil Walton General manager Hans De Loore Publisher Mediahuis NV

Editorial address Gossetlaan 30 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden tel 02 467 23 06 editorial@flanderstoday.eu subscriptions tel 03 560 17 49 subscriptions@flanderstoday.eu or order online at www.flanderstoday.eu Advertising 02 467 24 37 advertising@flanderstoday.eu Verantwoordelijke uitgever Hans De Loore

\ POLITICS

5TH COLUMN Climate fail

Last week, this column argued against the notion that Belgium is a failed state, as it has been portrayed by the international press in the wake of the Paris attacks. Belgium also received some support from The Economist (“much of Europe is in the same boat”) and former US ambassador Howard Gutman (“the main threat from Belgium is its fine food, which endangers cholesterol levels”). However, Belgium not being a failed state does not mean that it does not sometimes fail. And this time, it has done so spectacularly. As the Paris climate conference started on Monday, Belgium had failed to produce a common policy. Four of its governments – one federal and three regional – have been negotiating for no less than six years. The negotiations centre on the regional division of the efforts and the source of the Climate Funds, to be invested in environmental measures. About a month ago, an agreement seemed close, but it was turned down by the government of Flanders (embarrassing its own environment minister, Joke Schauvliege) and the federal government (embarrassing its own climate minister, Marie-Christine Marghem). N-VA, Flanders’ largest party, in particular felt that too much was expected from Flanders. Complicating matters even further are the different governments’ coalitions. The Frenchspeaking socialists and Christian-democrats, which control government in the BrusselsCapital and Walloon regions, are oppositions parties on the federal level. This makes them reluctant to co-operate, preferring to embarrass their political opponents. That’s exactly the type of situation that has led many international experts to the “failed state” conclusion. Over the weekend, six ministers – of the environment, energy and climate – met again to try to reach an agreement before the start of the climate summit. They failed. Marghem decided not to board the climate train to Paris on Sunday. We have never been this close to an agreement, prime minister Charles Michel (MR) said on Monday. “Belgium sticks to its commitments and is actually credited internationally. The Belgians are among the world’s most ambitious when it comes to fighting climate change.” He has his work cut out for him: to convince not just international experts but his own citizens. \ Anja Otte

Government of Flanders apologises for forced adoptions Unwed mothers were forced to give up babies over 30-year period Alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

he government of Flanders and parliament have issued an official apology to the victims of forced adoptions that took place in the region between the 1950s and 1980s. The apology was supported by the Belgian bishops. Forced adoptions usually took place in the case of teenage girls who were pregnant. After giving birth, they were often forced to give up the child immediately, sometimes in the delivery room. In many cases, the girls were not informed that the baby would be taken away after birth. Special agencies matched children to adoptive parents, and the birth mother was given no contact information. “We recognise that what has been done cannot be undone,” said welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen (pictured). “That painful

realisation confronts us as to our responsibility.” The Flemish authorities, the apology admitted, did too little and acted too late to address the interests of both the mothers and children.

“We must do whatever victims need to help process their grief and to move towards recovery,” Vandeurzen said. That includes the creation of a DNA database and an agency to gather information that would allow the adopted children, all now adults, to trace their parents. In the meantime, an exhibition on the subject is being organised by the Dr Guislain Museum in Ghent, to open next year. The Belgian bishops pledged their assistance in gathering information on the many adoption cases in which the church was involved; they will supply any information to the Flemish family organisation Kind & Gezin. “We need to admit that too little attention was paid to the mother and the effect on the rest of her life,” said Antwerp bishop Johan Bonny.

Enquiry into “planned obsolescence” in household appliances

€40 million for Flemish SMEs from local and European funds The government of Flanders’ investment agency, PMV, has signed an agreement with the European Fund for Strategic Investment that will allow some 700 small- and medium-sized enterprises in Flanders access to €40 million in loan capital over the next two years. The financing is intended to create jobs and encourage innovation. “The Flemish government, with the European Union, is working on sustainable investment with a focus on job creation,” said Flanders’ minister president Geert Bourgeois, “and that starts with support for the ground-breaking professionalism of our SMEs”. “We’re very happy that we’ll be able to give more support than ever to Flanders’ small businesses thanks to this agreement,” said Michel Casselman, CEO of PMV, a venture capital agency that handles a portfolio of some €900 million in equity in SMEs in the Flemish region. Speaking at the event in Brussels to announce the agreement, European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen (CD&V), responsible for employment and social affairs, said that she was “happy to sign the first strategic investment agreement with parties from Flanders. The investment plan for Europe is meant to create new jobs and stimulate innovation. Today that promise becomes a reality in Flanders.” \ AH

Federal consumer affairs minister Kris Peeters has called for an enquiry into whether manufacturers of household appliances, including computers, deliberately build their products with a limited life-span. If so, he said, he intends to look into what measures can be taken to stop the practice. The anecdotal evidence is all around us: a refrigerator or a washing machine used to be good for 30 years of service, and if something went wrong, someone would come round and fix it. Now, repair services more often than not advise that a repair would cost as much as a new appliance. Test-Aankoop recently tested 24 washing machines – one cheaper version and one expensive version from each of 12 brands. The stress test found four machines malfunctioning before the end of the test. Another 19 showed signs of damage. Only one machine, the cheapest in the entire test, came through. The brand was LG, a Korean manufacturer. “When we called up for a repair, it often turned out that only a small component was broken,” said Simon November of Test-Aankoop. “But that small component was part of a

larger component that also had to be replaced. Usually, we were better off buying a new machine. But that can’t be justified when you consider that a washing machine should last for 20 years, given the effect on the environment of making one.” The legal two-year guarantee, he said, turns out to be valid only for about six months. Sellers are willing to accept responsibility for faults in the first six months, but the onus of proof is on the buyer after that, and manufacturer liability can only be proved by employing an expensive expert. “What we are asking from minister Peeters is a real guarantee of two years,” November said. “That would encourage both manufacturer and seller to produce more sustainable machines.” \ AH

Homans attends radicalisation prevention conference As police operations were taking place last week that helped avoid a terrorist attack in Brussels (see p2), Flemish minister for integration, Liesbeth Homans, was in Denmark, approaching the problem from another angle. Homans was attending a conference on measures to prevent the radicalisation of young people. The conference was held in the city of Aarhus, which has attracted international attention for its approach to returning Syria fighters, based less on punishment and more on prevention and support. Unusually, the conference was held under Chatham House rules, which means the proceedings cannot be cited. This, organisers said, was to allow participants to reveal details that might be of national security importance. The conference “offered the opportunity to

discuss approaches to radicalisation and violent extremism with other experts and to exchange experiences,” said a spokesperson for Homans’ ministry. While in Aarhus, Homans also had talks with Jacob Bunsgaard, the city’s mayor, about his council’s approach (pictured). In related news, Ghent’s city council has decided to hire two full-time officials to develop a radicalisation action plan, without waiting for the approval of an application for government subsidies, mayor Daniël Termont said. In the course of this year, four people from Ghent – three men and one woman – have gone to fight in Syria. “That’s four too many,” commented CD&V fraction leader Veli Yüksel. “But those who become radicalised and continue to walk the streets of

Ghent have to be followed up, too.” The new plan will build on existing networks of youth organisations to help identify vulnerable cases, with the help of social aid agencies, police, judiciary and schools. \ AH

\ COVER STORY

december 2, 2015

Breaking the taboo

University of Leuven encourages students to check in with their peers

mindmates.be

continued from page 1

To encourage a more open dialogue, MindMates offers a framework for peer support. Students can follow workshops on dealing with and detecting mental health issues – in themselves and in others. Students also organise activities to help raise awareness. “There are already many counselling programmes for students,” says Gheldof, “but we want to invest in what we call universal prevention. We want to address everyone, including those who don’t currently have psychological problems.” This means reinforcing the “protective factors,” she says, “that help build a community of students. Those who have a quality social network are better protected against potential psychological issues. Social isolation can trigger existing problems or cause trouble for students who started their university life carefree.” Finding your place in a new setting is part of going to university or any institution of higher education. Traditionally, student unions and societies play a role in forging friendships and familiarising newcomers with their new environment. Oftentimes, they are helped by a system of “godmothers” and “godfathers”, more experienced students who show newbies the ropes of student life, both on and off campus. “I’m all for that system,” says Gheldof, “but there’s a group of students those organisations don’t reach. They often attract a certain type of students. And not everyone fits that profile.” MindMates sets out to organise events where you can join in on your own. Via their website, they also offer the option to ask for a “buddy”, a student volunteer who has followed the MindMates workshops and is ready to meet up for an informal chat. One of them is Elisabeth Leysen, a second-year economics student who has recently made the step from attending workshops to being a buddy. “I think the system of godmothers and godfathers at the student societies is less personal,” Leysen says. “They don’t get so much involved with questions about how you are feeling. When you talk with the MindMates buddies, there’s less of a taboo around discussing personal issues.” Not that those buddies take over the role of professional counsellors or become instant best friends. “The workshops have taught me that it’s OK not to come up with a solution right away when someone talks about her issues,” explains Leysen. “Sometimes it’s helpful just to listen and to honestly say that you don’t know the answer, either. During

KU Leuven MindMates buddies Christina Ieronymakis (sitting) and Lore Saenen. According to the programme’s co-ordinator, social networking sites put extra pressure on students

my first meeting as a buddy, I just went to the other student’s home, and we chatted about all kinds of stuff for two hours.” It’s a view echoed by Kathleen Nollet, a psychology student also in her second year who has had several buddy encounters. “Most of the time, the other person just wants someone to talk to,” she says. “Every activity we did together was spontaneous. It certainly didn’t feel as if I was the therapist. I’ve also learned that you don’t have to make someone else’s problems your own. You have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to help others.” The buddies form a very approachable initial line of support in a project that acts as a gateway to

any type of psychological assistance a student might need, professional or otherwise. Besides its stepping-stone approach, MindMates focuses on building general awareness in the univer-

antennas,” says Gheldof. “It’s the responsibility of each and every one of us to pick up on signals if someone is having difficulties. Talking about it is often the first step towards getting help.”

Students who have a quality social network are better protected against potential psychological issues sity community. That’s why they have also been training various types of personnel in student housing and across the university. “They, too, have to sharpen their

It’s complicated to delve into longitudinal trends and the reasons why so many students need help but don’t seek it. “The far-reaching individualisation at various

levels in our society, the pressure to perform and the pace of our modern lives are all elements that contribute to a need to facilitate a different kind of interaction,” explains Gheldof. People don’t necessarily need initiatives like MindMates to engage in such contacts. “But apparently many students no longer do,” says Gheldof. “Is it because this type of interaction isn’t there anymore, or do these students have personal characteristics that prevent them from taking the necessary steps? Or is it because they have a completely wrong perception of how others lead their lives?” According to Gheldof, social networking sites are part of the problem. “Social media certainly doesn’t invite us to deepen our interactions, nor does it offer a broad overview of the spectrum of how to live your life, including everything that doesn’t belong to the shiny, happy side of it,” she says. “Because of what they see on social media, some students start to believe that their peers have a blissful social life all day, every day. Which makes them feel excluded. And which makes it even harder for them to participate.” Students who pursue higher education go through an important phase of their lives, both personally and professionally. They start a life away from their parental homes, especially when living in student accommodation. Universities are havens for personal and intellectual development. At the same time, they also constitute a breeding ground for tomorrow’s human capital, one where the professional rat race begins. Or is it just a matter of perspective? “Leuven has a pretty small student community where you can make friends in a jiffy,” says student buddy Leysen. “I’ve always been a busy bee. But before getting involved with MindMates, I wasn’t always aware of some aspects of mental well-being.” In the meantime, a new study from Ghent University has shown that about half of doctoral students at Flanders’ five universities struggle with depressive feelings. One in three even shows symptoms of clinical depression. The timing may be coincidental, but both Leuven and Ghent reports now indicate that young adults are experiencing severe difficulties at the very institutions that are meant to help shape their futures. “One of our main messages is that having a bad day is also part of life,” says Gheldof. “Sometimes we overanalyse everyday occurrences. Paradoxically, severe problems often aren’t treated the way they should be.”

\ BUSINESS

week in business Biotech Ablynx The Ghent-based specialist in the development and production of nanobodies for therapeutic applications has signed an agreement worth up to €10 million over three years with Denmark’s Novo Nordisk. Ablynx will develop molecules for the treatment of obesity and diabetes.

Chemicals Solvay The Brussels-based chemicals and plastics group is to go ahead with its €6 billion acquisition of the US Cytec Industries company after shareholders of both companies approved the move. Cytec is specialised in the development and production of composite materials used in the aerospace sector.

Energy Fluxys The local gas transport and supplier is to acquire the 10% stake held by the Russian Gazprom group in the Interconnector gas pipeline linking Zeebrugge with Bacton in the UK. The move allows Fluxys to gain control of the Interconnector project and strengthens its position on the European gas transport market.

Mobile Huawei The Chinese telecoms company opened its first Customer Experience Center in Europe in the centre of Brussels last week. Huawei is the fastest-growing supplier of smartphones in the world.

Retail Ikea The home furniture and decoration chain has opened three pop-up stores in the centre of Hasselt to allow local customers to preview the wares that will be on sales in the new Ikea outlet opening next year in the city.

Software Sentiance Korean technology giant Samsung is to invest €6 million in the Antwerp-based Sentiance software start-up, specialised in mobile data management.

Steel Arcelor Mittal The London-based steel group has inaugurated a state-ofthe-art flat steel rolling mill in its ESP unit in Geel, Antwerp province, to increase the plant’s productivity by 50%. The bulk of the production is earmarked for the automobile and building sectors.

iMinds is world’s fourth-best business accelerator

Flanders’ digital research centre made ranking for start-up success Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

he iStart incubation programme of Flanders’ digital research institute iMinds, which helps new entrepreneurs to launch their companies, has made the top 5 in the prestigious UBI Global ranking Top University Business Accelerators. Its fourthplace finish is a jump of 21 places from last year. According to iMinds acting CEO, Danny Goderis, their start-ups have been particularly successful in attracting external followup funding. “Since 2010, the iMinds start-ups have attracted more than €24 million in external funding, despite venture capital being

scarce in our region,” he said. Studies show that for every euro of iMinds support, external parties invested €3.60 in the

Only minor adjustments needed for VW cars sold in Belgium

Level 4 terror alert in Brussels cost €52 million a day

Most Volkswagen cars found to have been fitted with fraudulent software developed to pass all emissions tests will require only a software update to solve the problem, according to the German company’s sales director for south and west Europe, Sven Kunath. The quick fix can be carried out on about 90% of all affected cars in Europe, he said. A change to software, which takes about an hour per vehicle, will be sufficient for 1.2-litre and 2.0-litre diesel models to bring them back into line with European norms. The 1.6-litre model will also require a small technical adjustment. Owners of the vehicles concerned are entitled to a free update and a replacement car, if necessary. VW will also offer the option of having the car picked up at home and returned after the changes have been made, Kunath said. “After the adjustment, these cars will respect the norms 100%,” he said, “and there will be no consequences in the longer term.” He particularly stressed that the changes would not affect the car’s resale value. \ Alan Hope

The increase in the terrorism threat to its highest level in Brussels last month cost the national economy an estimated €51.7 million a day, according to the VRT TV programme De vrije markt (The Free Market). The main loss of earnings was due to one in five workers being unable to get to work, either because of transport difficulties such as the closure of the metro system, or because of schools and crèches being closed; some families had no other option for child care. The economic damage from that single cause was an estimated €29.7 million, according to the programme. The restaurant sector suffered €22 million in losses because of closure during the weekend of 21-22 November at the request of Brussels-City mayor Yvan Mayeur, as well as the general drop in customers caused by the situation in the city centre. Many businesses were closed, police and military patrolled the streets and major attractions such as cinemas and concert halls were closed. Last weekend, Belgium’s public image received a boost from former US ambassador Howard Gutman.

Woestijnvis renews ties with VRT after four years Flemish TV production company Woestijnvis is to renew its co-operation with Flemish public broadcaster VRT for the first time since 2011. The first evidence of the co-operation is the move of the popular satirical news programme De ideale wereld (The Ideal World) from Vier to Canvas. Woestijnvis was set up in 1997 and immediately started working with VRT. An exclusivity contract ran until 2011. The company made a variety of the broadcaster’s most popular programmes, including the quirky magazine Man bijt hond, comedy show In de Gloria, game show De mol and quiz show De slimste mens ter wereld. In 2011, Woestijnvis’ parent company, De Vijver Media,

became part-owner of the two independent channels Vier and Vijf. A continued relationship with the public broadcaster became impossible. Now, however, Woestijnvis has separated its broadcasting business and its production house, which allows the shift of De ideale wereld. The programme, which broadcasts from Tuesday to Thursday at 22.00, was dropped from the Vier schedule. The new season will start on Canvas on 4 January. “The public broadcaster has always said that co-operation in the future was not ruled out,” said Peter Claes, director-general of media and production at the VRT. \ AH

Flemish start-up economy. With such statistics, iMinds is among the 3% best-scoring incubators in the world. “Investors increasingly see iMinds, and especially the iStart programme, as a quality label,” said Kris Vandenberk, senior manager at the Flemish government’s investment agency PMV. “Because investors are sure that iMinds applies a very strict selection process, they are confident about the potential of their start-ups.” iMinds has helped to launch about 100 companies, which together have created more than 300 full-time jobs and generate a turnover of more than €16 million.

Part of De ideale wereld team, from left: Lieven Scheire, Otto-Jan Ham and Jonas Geirnaert

Brussels expects fewer international visitors to its Christmas market this year

Responding to recent international press accusations that Belgium is a “failed state” or a haven for terrorists, Gutman pointed out that the latest Global Peace Index, which measures a country’s safety level, places Belgium in 14th place, while the UK is at 39 and the US at 93. “If Belgium is a failed state,” Gutman said, “then the US must be like Afghanistan”. Belgium now has to take the initiative and “control the message,” he said, suggesting that corporations sponsor campaigns to show the world that the country is safe and a good place to do business. “The biggest danger in Belgium for me,” said Gutman, “is cholesterol because the food is so good.” he said. \ AH

Tourism agency works to restore Flanders’ image Tourism agency Visit Flanders is working to assure potential tourists and professionals that the region is still safe to travel to after twos weeks of international headlines sporting phrases like “failed state” and “lockdown”. The agency has launched an information campaign aimed at overseas business, like conference organisers and tour operators. Those working in the event and tourism sectors have been asked to stress that, while soldiers walk the streets of the capital, life goes on as usual in Flanders’ other main destinations – Bruges, Mechelen, Antwerp, Ghent, the coast and the First World War region in the Westhoek. The Westhoek around Ypres and Poperinge hopes to continue to enjoy the high numbers of tourists brought to the region by the First World War centenary commemorations. Tourism authority Westtoer has announced that the area attracted one million overnight stays in 2014, an increase of 6% on the previous year. Almost 800,000 said they were specifically there because of the centenary. \ AH

\ INNOVATION

december 2, 2015

week in innovation KU Leuven student wins Encon prize

Today’s technology, yesterday Virtual reality app lets Historium visitors step into medieval Bruges Diana Goodwin More articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.eu

nyone who’s walked the streets of Bruges knows the feeling of being transported to a medieval Flemish city with its cobblestones, canals and... De Lijn buses? Unfortunately, the present has a way of intruding on even the most well-preserved historic locations. What history buff hasn’t wished for a time machine, for a way to travel back in time and see things the way they used to be? Thanks to a ground-breaking new device using virtual reality, visitors to the Historium can now experience what’s it like to stroll around 15th-century Bruges. The Historium City VR app is accessed via the internet using a simple, portable device that works with any smartphone. The app lets users view complete 360° recreations of six places around the city as they appeared 600 years ago. “It’s an extra addition that lets visitors relive the locations of the Historium story but in the city itself,” says Christopher Roose, Historium’s general manager. “The City VR is a nice extra for every visitor and especially schools that combines a Historium visit with a walk in the historical city.” Historium pioneered a new kind of tourist experience combining interactive storytelling, physical environments and historical information when it opened in 2012.

Adding virtual reality to the mix would seem like a logical extension of the existing offering. The virtual environments in City VR build on research and designs that were used to create the original Historium experience. According to Roose, Historium already had the content, having invested in researching and recreating a historically accurate 15th-century Bruges, and wanted a way to bring it to as many people as possible. They worked with Sevenedge, an interactive media agency based in East Flanders, to develop a virtual reality experience for visitors. Last year, Sevenedge set up a virtual reality Lab at Historium using technology from Oculus, a major player in the emerging VR field. Visitors could try the high-tech headsets for free and go on a virtual journey through medieval Bruges. That experience convinced Historium to commission a low-cost, accessible VR product that could be combined with their existing offering. “Taking the Virtual Reality experience outside of Historium and making it accessible to everyone with no investment in expensive hardware was a solution that led us to Google Cardboard,” Roose explains. Google Cardboard is a virtual reality device that is literally made from cardboard, along with a few

HISTORIUM.BE

other low-cost components. It works with any smartphone on the market and its affordability means many people who might otherwise not invest in a new technology can easily try it out. Historium’s Google Cardboard device is available in combination with an entry ticket ( for an additional fee) or it can be bought separately in the gift shop. Once it’s removed from its sleeve, it’s a simple matter to unfold it, assemble the viewer and place a smartphone into the slot in the back. The app itself is accessed via the smartphone’s browser. Since the app requires internet access, visitors can use Historium’s free wifi. One of the six virtual locations is the site of the Historium building itself. In the future, Historium plans to install wifi beacons at the other locations around the city, but all the locations in the app can be viewed from Historium – or from anywhere in the world. Says Roose, “Through our statistics we can check where people use our app. And it’s not only in Bruges. We have downloads in cities from Delhi to Dublin. So the people who bought the Historium City VR in Bruges are re-visiting Bruges using our Cardboard and

the City VR app.” Certainly one of the most appealing things about virtual reality is the idea that someone can visit a remote location without actually having to go there. But in the case of Historium City VR, the remote destination is the past – and part of the fun is standing in modern Bruges while looking at its medieval equivalent. The virtual location and its modern counterpart don’t match up exactly. I couldn’t get the buildings on the Markt to line up with their medieval equivalents. No matter how I twisted myself around and rotated my viewer, reality and virtual reality remained shifted 90° from each other. And yet it was still a thrill to stand in the middle of the square and see how it looked in the 15th century. Historium has plans to incorporate VR into its main attraction, but for now City VR gives visitors a tantalising glimpse into the future of travel – by taking them into the past.

Air pollutants from electricity production decrease dramatically vmm.be

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) from electricity producers in Flanders have dropped 41% and 57% respectively since 2010, according to figures published by Flemish magazine Engineeringnet. NOx and SO2 make water and soils acidic, as well as creating a fine dust that damages buildings. According to Engineeringnet, the remarkable decrease of the pollutants is the result of an environ-

mental policy agreement between the Flemish region and the Belgian Federation of Electricity and Gas Enterprises (Febeg). The electric-

ity producers that, back in 2010, ran thermal power plants in Flanders promised to reduce the emissions produced by their installations. The government of Flanders recently presented the final report on the environmental policy agreement to parliament. During the period between 2010 and 2014, Febeg members managed to achieve the ambitious annual emission goals imposed by the policy agreement. Another report, “Lozingen in

de lucht” (Emissions in the Air) released by the Flemish Environment Agency indicated that electricity production in 2013 was responsible for only 4.1% of NOx and 4.6% of SO2 emissions in Flanders. The environmental policy agreement was concluded to help meet the National Emission Ceilings imposed by the European Union to reduce air pollutants.

A Master’s student from the University of Leuven has won the fifth Encon Energy Prize, awarded by energy study bureau Encon. Sander Vaeck won the €2,500 prize, which rewards the writer of the best thesis on sustainable energy use or renewable energy production. Vaeck, who studied engineering sciences, examined the investments in renewable energy that will be necessary to meet European standards. In his thesis, he analysed how we can make the transition from an energy model based on fossil fuels and nuclear energy to a society that is founded on renewable energy.

VIB opens lab at UHasselt Flemish innovation minister Philippe Muyters has officially opened life sciences research institute VIB’s first laboratory at Hasselt University, meaning VIB now has labs at all five Flemish universities. The research group at the new lab, in the university’s Biomedical Research Institute, will study the processes that lead to auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. The lab is led by German professor Markus Kleinewietfeld, who praised the outstanding clinical environment and the extraordinary concentration of immunological knowledge concentrated in the lab.

Biologist is most promising researcher Biologist Aurora Geerts of the University College Ghent (HoGent) has won the Eos Pipet award, given annually by Flemish science magazine Eos to Flanders’ most promising young researcher. A jury of science journalists was impressed by the 29-yearold’s PhD research on how water fleas adapt genetically to climate change. In unfavourable times, water fleas produce “sleeping eggs”, which hatch only during the right conditions. Geerts found eggs that were about 60 years old at the bottom of a lake in the UK and managed to hatch them in the lab. She then compared the offspring with fleas from 20-year-old eggs that had hatched naturally. In the period between the eggs, the temperature of the water in the lake increased by 1.15 degrees Celsius. Geerts determined that the more recent water flea eggs were better able to deal with higher temperatures. \ AF

\ Andy Furniere

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\ EDUCATION

december 2, 2015

Brain power

week in education

UHasselt researcher gets areas of the brain talking to each other Senne Starckx More articles by Senne \ flanderstoday.eu

t might not seem like a complex cognitive task, but when we gesticulate we use our brain both for talking and for moving our hands on the beat of our speech. It’s common knowledge that during this motion our left hand is controlled by the right half of our brain, and vice versa. While gesticulating, these cerebral hemispheres alternatively reinforce and inhibit each other. Many specific motions are controlled by certain areas in our brains. But what’s perhaps even more important is the way these areas work together – just like the right and left hemisphere co-operate to move our hands correctly. The problem is that the extent to which different brain areas work together or communicate with each other cannot be visualised by an MRI scan, the current magic wand of neuroscience. “The drawback of the MRI is that it visualises the activity of individual brain areas based on the measurement of blood circulation,” explains Raf Meesen, a rehabilitation expert at Hasselt University (UHasselt). “But communication between these areas doesn’t happen via the bloodstream: it happens through the synapses, or the ends of nerve cells.” Meesen is intrigued by the “connectomics” of the human brain and sees it as a giant electric circuit. “Every brain area operates at a different frequency – that’s the frequency of the current resulting from the electric discharge of the synapses. These frequency differences protect our brains from a massive short circuit.” With the use of another imaging technique called EEG, the electric activity from the brain can be recorded with a very high time resolution, allowing an inference of the brain’s electric activity into timefrequency patterns. Meesen is currently organising an investigation into how the brain’s

Swimming cap-style head gear transmits a small electric current that could help improve motor skills in ageing brains

communication network varies between people. More specifically, he is studying the differences between the networks of younger and older adults. “In the first part of our investigation we used EEG recordings to look at whether and how we can identify decreased motor skills in the brains of elderly people. We did brain recordings while our volunteers, both young and old, performed manual tasks, like drawing simultaneously with two hands.” The researchers found that “in the group of elderly people there were, on average, more brain areas activated than in the young adult group,” says Meesen. “This could mean that our brains automatically ‘recruit’ additional areas when a certain task is not performed satisfactorily.” Meesen knows one brain area in particular that plays an important role in manual exercises. “The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in the front of our brains, generally plugs into other brain areas so that the resulting hand movements are well co-ordinated,” he says. So in Meesen’s initial investigation,

he and his colleagues – he works with researchers from Germany – used EEG recordings to visualise the spatial and temporal components of motor activity in the brain. In the second part of the study, which will start in January, it’s time for action. Dozens of volunteers with light motor problems – which are normal symptoms of the ageing process – will be equipped with electrodes on their head to stimulate the local connections. The electrodes are attached to something that looks like a swimming cap. Meesen says his volunteers shouldn’t be afraid. “The electric current we apply is really tiny,” he says. “The only thing they will feel is a very minor itching feeling on the surface of their head.” Though it might be full of electricity, with millions of synapses constantly charging and discharging, the real basis of our brain is still chemistry. So when you succeed in stimulating connections between certain areas and thus “rejuvenating” the brain, how long does the effect last? “That’s a good question,” says Meesen, “and we don’t know the answer. That’s why we’re doing all

these tests. We will investigate how high the chances of success are for certain specific tasks. And we’re looking at whether we can invoke long-term effects on the way different areas of the brain communicate with each other.” The possibility that the effect of electrical stimulation might not last very long – or may even disappear just after the electrodes are taken away – isn’t a fundamental problem for Meesen, who of course hopes to develop treatments and applications that really can help people. “Suppose we discover that it works only if applied during a half-hour session every morning, then it would still be an attractive treatment. Many elderly people spend a lot of time using exercise equipment at home. I don’t see the difference.” And even if there’s only an effect when the swimming cap with the electrodes is on, Meesen sees applications. “Due to decreased motor skills, many elderly people have problems driving a car. So why not put on the cap while driving, just like wearing your seat belt?”

Q&A The Free University of Brussels (VUB) has recently launched itself on the stock market – or has it? Rector Paul De Knop explains. Why did VUB launch on the stock market? VUB did not launch on the stock market. What we did was we found money in the private sector, such as from insurance companies and other private institutions, for improving our facilities. We now have €61.5 million to finance our construction projects. But there are no “VUB shares” being bought and sold on the stock market. Can you clarify then how the stock market is involved? These private sector companies

are basically lending money to the university via VUB bonds listed on the Brussels Euronext exchange. Instead of getting a loan from a bank, we are receiving loans from private institutions for building our facilities. This is the first time this has been done in Europe. There are two kind of loans: at 1.4% over 15 years and at 1.6% over 20 years. It’s very cheap money. With a bank you pay more than 2% interest. So there are four different loans, in the form of VUB bonds, that can be followed on the stock market. But it’s not VUB itself that

is going on the stock market. Are other universities following your lead? Yes, Ghent University is considering doing something similar, and I’m also getting calls from universities in the Netherlands that want to know more. It took me three years to arrange this, to assure the private sector that it’s safe to give loans to a university, especially one with a 180-year history. The companies decided, along with the banks, that it’s a good investment. What facilities will the money be used for? We will build new 600 units of student housing on campus, 3,500

square metres of educational space, research facilities and a new culture tower with a concert venue and exhibition space. We’re also going to renovate our swimming pool.

One in five Master’s not in Dutch

Of all Master’s courses in Flemish higher education, 18% are given in a language other than Dutch. Among Bachelor’s programmes, the percentage of non-Dutch programmes is 1.5%. The figures come from the first annual report on the new language policy in Flanders’ higher education institutions. The policy has two main goals: monitoring the range of nonDutch study programmes and guaranteeing the quality of the use of foreign languages in higher education. According to education minister Hilde Crevits, the annual report is a “positive evaluation”. The government stipulates that 6% maximum of the Bachelor’s programmes can be given in a language other than Dutch. For Master’s studies, the maximum is 35%.

Students lead departments in Limburg hospitals Forty students from the Limburg university colleges PXL and PIVH Hasselt have been put in charge of departments at four of the province’s hospitals for four weeks. The project is taking place at Jessa Ziekenhuis Hasselt, Sint-Franciskusziekenhuis Heusden-Zolder, AZ Vesalius Tongeren and Sint-Trudo Ziekenhuis in Sint-Truiden. The students will work under the supervision of hospital staff. The participants are Bachelor’s students in nursing, occupational therapy and social work. They will work in the hospitals’ geriatric and motor skills rehab departments. “They will work in two shifts and perform all tasks,” said Roald Nelissen, head of the PXL healthcare department, in a statement.

One in eight primary schools has no PE teacher One in eight Flemish primary schools doesn’t have a physical education teacher on staff. In Limburg, the figure is one in five. The data comes from Het Nieuwsblad based on statistics that Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits provided to MP Steve Vandenberghe. Schools represented by the Flemish community education network GO! have the fewest PE teachers, with nearly 30% missing one. That number rises to 55% in West Flanders. In schools without a PE teacher, other teachers have to lead physical education themselves. \ Andy Furniere

\ Interview by Lee Gillette

\ LIVING

week in activities

Tour of Sint-Niklaas church A guide will explain how the historic church came to be built next to the Grote Markt and the role it played in Brussels’ development through the centuries. 4 December, 12.30-13.30, Korte Boterstraat 1, Brussels, free \ tinyurl.com/Sint-Niklaas-tour

Dranouter Winter Festival The theme for the weekend is Petrus Plancius, an astronomer born in Dranouter in 1522. Stargazing, a lecture, a sing-along, poetry competition, a pig roast and a folk dance ball. Registration required for some activities. 4-5 December, Dranouter Music Centre, Dikkebusstraat 234, Heuvelland \ muziekcentrumdranouter.be

Sinterklaas arrives in Brussels The Sint makes his official entrance to the city, by boat. He and his helpers come ashore at 10.00, with hot chocolate and sweets. Later, the Sinterklaas Parade traverses the city centre, from Oude Korenmarkt to Grote Markt. 5 December, arrival: 9.30-11.45, Akenkaai; Parade: 15.00-17.00, city centre, free \ tinyurl.com/Sint-in-Brussels

Sinterklaas at the Toy Museum What better place to visit the Sint than the toy museum? Bring the kids to meet him in person. His helpers will keep kids busy making drawings and face-painting. 5-6 December, 13.30-18.00, Toy Museum, Nekkerspoelstraat 21, Mechelen, free with museum admission \ speelgoedmuseum.be

Green love

Shelter in Antwerp arranges new homes for unwanted plants Rebecca Benoot More articles by Rebecca \ flanderstoday.eu

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s your sansevieria getting too big for your apartment? Are the leaves of your fern turning a nasty shade of brown? Or maybe that orchid you got for your birthday isn’t really your cup of tea? Fear not: plant shelters that might be able to help have been popping up across Flanders. “One of our co-workers saw on Facebook that there were several plant shelters in the Netherlands,” says Liesbeth Van Mol, one of four co-founders of the Antwerp shelter, the largest one in the region. “We loved the idea so much that we started one. It turned out to be a big success.” Plantenasiel Antwerpen (Plant Shelter Antwerp) offers unwanted plants a new home. “If people have plants that are either getting too big for their environment, or they don’t have green fingers and these plants are withering away, or they’ve simply grown tired of them, they can contact us,” says Van Mol. They have a lot of participants who’ve moved to service flats, for instance, and can’t take all their plants with them. “We also have people who are redesigning their gardens and don’t want to throw away good shrubs.” Don’t be fooled by the name though, the Plantenasiel isn’t actually a physical shelter. “We keep the plants that are up for adoption in our own home,” Van Mol explains. “People bring the plant to one of our four colleagues, where we give the plant the TLC it needs before giving it a new home.” At first, they simply posted photos of the plants on their Facebook

Plantenasiel Antwerpen offers abandoned plants to new owners with a vacant windowsill or garden patch

page, and the first person to respond got the plant. But with many people checking the site in the evening rather than during work hours, they didn’t stand a chance, Van Mol explains. “Eventually it was always the same people who responded first, so we decided to give people a few days to reply and use a raffle system instead.” There has been more interest in the initiative than the four of them ever imagined. Van Mol points out that, even if we largely live in a consumer culture today, the mood is slowly changing, with

people learning more about recycling and upcycling. Plantenasiel Antwerpen was founded in May 2014 and have since relocated more than 800 plants. The shelter typically takes in all manner of species, from tropical house plants to classics such as ivy or orchids, as well as shrubs and herbs – anything and everything that’s not beyond saving and is in need of a home. “Sharing food, second-hand shops and the whole community atmosphere is thriving these days,” Van Mol says. “People who are socially aware particularly like the idea.

We give people the chance to get a beautiful plant for free and give a plant that would have otherwise been thrown away a second chance.” Van Mol and her co-founders started the project because they were interested in nature and ecology. They found common ground in their dislike of a consumer culture where everything gets thrown away as soon as something better surfaces. “We simply wanted to avoid plants being tossed out or left to die, just because the owners can’t look after them or have lost interest.”

Winter in Antwerp The city’s seasonal activities include an ice rink on Groenplaats, mini-golf, a giant Ferris wheel and “city tubing” on Steenplein. Book a ticket for a guided walk and discover the city’s hidden holiday treasures. 5 December to 3 January, across Antwerp, €12 for walk \ visitantwerpen.be

Ghent Museum Night Several museums are free and open to the public starting at 18.00, with a variety of activities and performances. In Sint-Pieters Abbey, catch a Downtown Abbey marathon, in conjunction with the exhibition History@TheMovies. 3 December, 18.00-1.00, across Ghent \ tumult.fm/museumnachtgent

\ 10

BITE Winter garden bar blows away the December blues Looking for a cosy bar in Antwerp to while away the winter? Then look no further than the Little Brewers Winter Garden, a new pop-up from the team who created the Little Butcher’s Summer Grill in Park Spoor Noord. Situated in an unused factory building of the De Koninck brewery, the Little Brewers Winter Garden is open from Thursday to Sunday for drinks, snacks and meals in a very informal atmosphere. The large space makes maximum use of humble wooden pallets to create walls, chairs and even the ceiling. As befits an eatery in a brewery, the drinks menu contains specially crafted beers from De Koninck including the mysteriously named TSTBRW (Test Brew) 2. Also available is Tank 7, a traditional farmhouse ale brewed in the US, and home-grown festive beers like Vedett IPA, Duvel’s Triple Hop and Liefmans Glühkriek. For those who prefer something other than beer, there’s homemade lemonade or the Little

Brewer’s own winter cocktail. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, you can order from the bar’s simple but warming menu. Winter staples include karakollen (sea snails), pulled pork, pastrami with sauerkraut and homemade pickles, stoemp and a selection of barbecued aged meats. For the sweet tooth

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there is strudel and pancakes. On Thursdays, the Little Brewers Winter Garden offers free finger food with your afterwork drink while DJ Boat spins the tunes. Fridays in December are Gin Day with democratic prices on the popular tipple. Saturday sees the pop-up open for lunch, and on Sunday there’s a brewer’s brunch. There are also special events to keep the kids entertained. They can run off some steam in the garden or take part in cooking and craft workshops. On Saturday evenings there’s live entertainment, including local bands such as The Girl Who Cried Wolf (12 December). On 19 December you can dance the night away with salsa. Little Brewers Winter Garden will even be open from 12.00 on Christmas Day for its Happy Ho Ho brunch, followed by the Bad Christmas Party. Little Brewers Winter Garden will be open until the end of January. \ Dan Smith

december 2, 2015

The chase is on

The thrill of a safari trip, without the danger, at Brussels’ Natural Science Museum Sally Tipper More articles by Sally \ flanderstoday.eu

naturalsciences.be

he latest exhibition at Brussels’ Natural Science Museum is a no-holdsbarred depiction of nature red in tooth and claw that marries stunning taxidermy with ingenious feats of engineering. Wonders of Wildlife is no Disneyfied depiction of cute animals all getting along together. Here the chase is on, and it’s kill or be killed. In a small, moodily lit gallery, 10 exhibits depict a variety of beasts on the hoof and in the chase, like freeze-frames from a wildlife documentary. The exhibition’s abbreviated name – Wow – is appropriate: the displays exude so much energy and movement that you can almost hear David Attenborough’s voice providing the narration as you walk among them. “It gives people the chance to see the animals in action – what you’d normally see on safari, for example, or in a nature documentary,” Hans Van Lierde, head of the museum’s education department, told Flemish public broadcaster VRT. A group of ibex are captured mid-leap, high above the heads of young visitors, while a leopard takes down three impala in mid-air. Elsewhere, a tiger takes out a flying wild boar and two lions bring down a terrified-looking zebra, while another zebra appears supremely unruffled as he kicks a third lion squarely in the face. A lone wolf considers taking his chances with three wild boar, but you know they’ll soon send him packing with his tail between his legs. No animal in its right mind would seriously mess with six of those fearsome tusks. As you examine the leopard perfectly balanced on its tail, or the airborne procession of ibexes,

Wonders of Wildlife is a marvel of engineering as well as a beautiful example of the taxidermist’s craft

you might ask yourself where the wires are. Look more closely and you’ll notice that many of the exhibits have the same basic V shape, with some serious foundations to aid that perfect balance. Entire herds of animals hinge on a single paw. It’s a marvel of engineering as well as a beautiful example of the taxidermist’s craft. The 10 scenes are the work of Antonio Pérez from Granada, the Spanish city that’s home to the co-organiser, museum and science park Parque

de las Sciencias. “We’re giving the animals a second life; that’s how I feel about taxidermy,” fellow taxidermist Christophe Demey, who works at the Brussels museum, told VRT. “You have to be fascinated by nature, and I’m also fascinated by the anatomy of animals.” Bases to each installation serve the dual purpose of concealing the foundations and keeping overeager young visitors at a suitable distance. The exhibition is much less inter-

active than the museum’s previous major show, Baby Animals, which encouraged young visitors to get hands-on with the cute installations. Aside from a few mystery boxes containing claws, antlers and hooves, a couple of touchscreen slideshows and a few casts of animal footprints, inquisitive young minds will have to be content with looking, not touch-

Until 28 August

50 weekends in Flanders: Creative hotspots in Hasselt Flanders Today has launched an e-book with ideas for how to spend a year’s worth of weekends. Visit our website to get your free copy of 50 Weekends in Flanders. We’ll also print one of our suggestions every week here, too. Hasselt seems out of the way to most expats living in Flanders and Brussels, but the capital of Limburg has some adventurous cultural spots dedicated to architecture, contemporary art and fashion. \ toerisme.hasselt.be

Z33 Here is one of the most exciting art spaces in Flanders. Named

displays art in unexpected places, like the Begijnhof, the streets of Hasselt and in the countryside between Hasselt and Genk.

\ z33.be

after its address (Zuivelmarkt 33), Z33 shows work by international designers and artists in a modernist exhibition hall (pictured) dating from 1958. The exhibitions often make creative use of the building’s vast, empty spaces. Z33 also

BEGIJNHOF WALLED GARDENS Take a look in the hidden walled gardens belonging to the old begijnhof houses. Each of the plots was planted by a local gardener and has a different style. Some look like neat medieval gardens; others are more romantic. But each one tells a personal story, which you can follow on a small notice posted next to the entrance. TITI + THE GERMAN KID Local designer Kristien Follon

started back in 2007 drawing cheeky slogans like “Cooler than Jesus” on hoodies and T-shirts. The locals loved the German kid (even if she was Flemish). Now she has her own label and sells her stuff in a modernist white showroom in the hip Dorpsstraat quarter. \ titiandthegermankid.com

ing. Indeed, it’s recommended for over-eights only. The displays cover topics including animal behaviour, biomechanics and species, and landscape conservation. Maps and short texts in four languages provide clear information about each of the animals displayed, and a video tells the story of reformed poachers in Cambodia.

Museum of Natural Sciences Vautierstraat 29, Brussels

tinyurl.com/50weekends

HENDRIKSHUIS Three young locals have renovated a corner building to create an inspiring concept store furnished with recycled materials. They sell quirky furniture, vintage clothes and accessories by local designers, including bags made from old flags. \ hendrikshuis.be

SPIRAL TRIBE Eva Verbeemen makes flamboyant party dresses that use rich, recycled fabrics. She sells them in a former disco crammed with spooky dolls and animal skulls. A weird entrance hall decorated with broken mirror glass leads into Eva’s strange psychedelic den. Dorpsstraat 16

ALLEY GALLERY This small gallery dedicated to street art opened in the Dorpsstraat quarter in 2009. It is owned by two graphic artists who put on exhibitions by artists such as Ephameron, Attak and Toy Factory. \ Derek Blyth

\ alley.be

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* Subject to approval of your application. More info via bnpparibasfortis.be/expatinbelgium Publisher: A. Moenaert, BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, Montagne du Parc/Warandeberg 3, 1000 Brussels, RPM Brussels, TVA BE 0403.199.702, FSMA n° 25,879 A

The Bulletin and ING Belgium invite you to a seminar on

An UpdAte on estAte plAnning • Marc Quaghebeur, partner, De Broeck, VanLaere and partners, “2015, new rules for wills and inheritance tax”

• Tim Carnewal,

December 10, 2015

Orange Room, ING headquarter building Cours Saint Michel, 40 – 1040 Brussels Metro: Merode

• Registrations from 17h30 • Seminar starts at 18h00 sharp

notary, Berquin, “How can a notary help you”

• Dave Deruytter,

head of Expatriates & Non-residents, ING Belgium, “Your estate planning priorities as an expat in Belgium”

Free entry • Register before December 4 at : www.thebulletin.be/estateplanning

\ ARTS

december 2, 2015

week in arts & CULTURE New Music For Life campaign kicks off The theme for this year’s Music for Life charity fundraiser by Studio Brussel is Iedereen zorgt voor iedereen (Everyone takes care of each other). In previous years the organisers worked with a specific charity or issue, but this year local groups and individuals taking part in the popular annual campaign can choose for themselves which charity they want their contribution to go to. Music for Life, celebrating its 10th anniversary, officially takes place from 18 to 24 December, when three Studio Brussel DJs will spend 24 hours a day living at De Schorre recreation park in Boom, Antwerp province. They’ll broadcast from the site, where the public is invited to come and join them. Complete details will be released on 7 December. (See related story, p3) \ dewarmsteweek.stubru.be

Pudding: a history

Flemish food photographer celebrates British cuisine in new book Rebecca Benoot More articles by Rebecca \ flanderstoday.eu

MISSFOODWISE.COM

Obsessed with Britain from an early age, Flemish photographer and blogger Regula Ysewijn has just released a book focusing on the history of Britain’s puddings.

egula Ysewijn is a Flemish photographer and graphic designer who is passionate about all things British, especially the food. So much so that she created a blog, Miss Foodwise, to celebrate it. Her blog and Instagram account have been nominated for several awards, and TV chef Jamie Oliver is a big fan. She has now published her first book, Pride and Pudding, which tells the history of British puddings, from ancient times to the present day. Ysewijn, who is also a trained beer sommelier and attends culinary school in Antwerp, originally had a love-hate relationship with food. “As a child, I was a very difficult eater; it was a big issue,” she says. “I became interested in food because it was so hard to find something

Accessible Art Fair heads to New York The Brussels-based Accessible Art Fair is expanding to New York City next year. The popular event, which takes place annually in Brussels – and occasionally in Antwerp – will hold its first international fair next November in New York’s National Arts Club. Canadian expat Stephanie Manasseh launched the fair in 2007 to “give a platform to talented emerging and established artists to sell their work to an art-buying public”. Artists of work selected for the fair are often present to talk to visitors, and most of the works cost between €50 and €5,000. The last Accessible Art Fair took place in October in Brussels and will happen again next October. \ accessibleartfair.com

Four nominated for European Museum of the Year Four museums in Flanders and Brussels are among the 49 nominations for the European Museum of the Year Award: Texture, the museum of flax and textiles in Kortrijk, the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels, the Gaasbeek Castle museum in Flemish Brabant and the Jenever Museum in Hasselt. The prize is awarded annually by the European Museum Forum to an institution that sparks visitors’ imaginations with a unique display of its collection, involves members of the local community and takes a creative approach to education and social responsibility. The GalloRoman Museum in Tongeren won the prize in 2011. \ europeanmuseumforum.info

Everyone wanted to go to Disneyland; I wanted to go to England! I liked. My mother didn’t like to cook, which resulted in dull Flemish fare: meat, vegetables and potatoes on a daily basis. It wasn’t something I enjoyed eating; I just had to.” Her fascination with Britain began with a nursery rhyme: Witte zwanen, zwarte zwanen wie gaat er mee naar Engeland varen? (White swans, black swans, who’s going sailing with me to England?) “To me it was such a mythical place,” she says. “Everyone wanted to go to Disneyland; I wanted to go to England!” And she got there as early as eight years of age. “When my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday, the answer was easy. We travelled around England and visited pubs for dinner, and that’s where my passion for food started.” What has defined British cuisine throughout the ages is the quality of the produce and getting it all locally. “Because there are so many remote areas in England,” Ysewijn explains, “there wasn’t a lot of importing going on. So people focused on growing and raising the best produce they could. Every region now has its own specialities.” Which is why her original idea, to write about the cuisine in general, would have resulted in something a little more encyclopaedic. So she ultimately decided to focus on the pudding – not the creamy yellow dish known in Flanders but a concept with a much broader meaning. “The pudding is something that popped up quite early in their cuisine,” Ysewijn says. “Back in the day, pudding wasn’t just the name of a dish, it also referred to intestines. By adding other intestines or wheat, like in haggis, it often became sweeter – making the current link with desserts. “So it was a dish, it was what went in the dish, and now it’s a dessert. The name as well as what it refers to keeps on evolving. In mainland Europe, we only have black pudding and white pudding, but that’s all due to etymology.” Pudding in all its shapes and forms is a central

Anglophile Regula Ysewijn’s book looks at British food culture and the history of puddings

part of British cuisine and quite unique due to the variety. The Dutch-language Pride and Pudding, with an English translation on the way, combines history and recipes, showing us the evolution of Britain as well as its dishes. Ysewijn always incorporates the original pudding recipes on which hers are based, accompanied by background information and photographs. “I wanted to write a book about food,” Ysewijn continues, “but not a cookbook. What interests me is the origin of these puddings, how they were initially created. I wanted to write a book about the food culture and history to

show how it changes through the ages.” Pudding, for example, “both sweet and savoury, was part of every course,” she explains, “but now it’s only served at the end of the meal. This evolution is something I try to illustrate in my book. The history and evolution are very important in understanding the term ‘pudding’.” Many of the puddings featured in Pride and Pudding have now been forgotten, so for some it’s the first time they have been published with a photograph. For people who are interested in food culture, it’s quite a treat. Despite the abundance of British celebrity chefs, prejudices about British cuisine abound, making Ysewijn’s book unique subject matter for a non-native. “Their food culture suffered a blow during the world wars because England was an island, limiting importing during the period,” she explains. “They were still rationing until 1954, which meant there were several generations who never learned to cook with fresh produce. Add to that the famous Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management, published in the 1860s, which was reissued and filled with all kinds of nonsense, like you had to boil carrots for an hour. Everyone who didn’t have a mum or grandmother to teach them how to cook learned from this book.” After the Second World War, the British imported a lot of processed food from the US. “Combined with Mrs Beeton, British cuisine was at a low point,” says Ysewijn. “People had to wait until the 1990s for chefs like Gary Rhodes and Jamie Oliver to finally change this way of cooking and make it accessible.” Pride and Pudding (€35) is published in Dutch by Davidsfonds. The English version is expected next spring

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\ ARTS

Oh, the shame of it all

Guislain Museum exhibition finds beauty and meaning in the uncomfortable Sally Tipper More articles by Sally \ flanderstoday.eu

MUSEUMDRGUISLAIN.BE

A new, wide-ranging exhibition at the Dr Guislain Museum in Ghent explores a universal feeling that haunts us for the better part of our lives

“E

verybody can relate to shame. Everybody’s ashamed once in a while,” says Yoon Hee Lamot, one of the curators of the latest thought-provoking exhibition at Ghent’s Dr Guislain Museum. Shame isn’t directly related to psychiatry in the way that previous shows at this erstwhile asylum on the outskirts of Ghent have been. “It’s very difficult to find shame itself in psychiatric literature,” says Lamot. “We thought there would be references, since shame is something that can really define you. But it wasn’t that easy.” In the early days of asylums, she continues, people were shut away because others were ashamed of them. “And there’s still a taboo around psychiatric problems today. Part of the mission of our museum is to break down the taboo. Shame can prevent healing: self-stigmatisation can be more threatening to the healing process than the disease itself.” The idea of shame is closely linked with being looked at – or thinking you’re being looked at. One line running through the works gathered here is the gaze: closed eyes, a back that’s turned away, the constant video surveillance in public spaces. The wide-ranging Shame begins with panels from the city’s SintBaafs Cathedral, paintings of Paradise made for the “Mystic Lamb” altarpiece, in which Adam and Eve can’t quite look at each other. They were commissioned in the 19th century to replace originals in which the couple were considered to look too ordinary – and too naked. These are followed by depictions of the same story from the Jewish tradition, a Turkish manuscript and a Ghanaian wood carving,

Discomfort screams from Marc Garanger’s photos of Algerian women in the 1960s – there’s the women’s shame, the photographer’s and the viewers’

with each saying something different about the culture in which they were created. Clearly, shame is far from a modern, or a Western, phenomenon. “When you look back, you see that shame is usually related to nudity,” says Lamot. “And there are differences in time and in cultures. If we go back to the period of colonisation, for example, we see how the Western world tried to bring our feelings of shame and impose Western norms on African people regarding nudity.” For the locals, being nude was fine in certain situations, but the colonisers didn’t see it that way and wanted them to wear more clothes. A video and a series of ethnographic sculptures illustrate this. The next room contains photos that show the evolution of beach fashion, and the revolution in

what’s possible. It’s interesting to ponder what counts as clothing. In one, a woman is essentially naked, but as there’s a V-shaped strip of cloth covering the essentials, she’s considered not to be. There’s a sculpture taken from a fountain in Ghent of carved nake bodies, which caused uproar in the 1930s. The League for Public Morality – and don’t they sound like fun? – produced a pamphlet decrying such things. They also designed what they considered an acceptable bathing suit, as they believed there was too much immorality on the Flemish coast. In “La Chambre”, by the late Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman, a single camera turns around in a room in which you see the artist lying on a bed, eating an apple. “It’s a very intimate scene, but instead of being watched, she

watches you,” Lamot says. “It’s quite disturbing; even though you know it’s just a film, you still have that uncomfortable feeling.” A different kind of discomfort screams from the work of Frenchman Marc Garanger, who worked as a photographer in the army during Algeria’s war for independence from France. He was ordered to take photographs of all the people in a village for identification, so the women had to unveil themselves, something that wasn’t normally allowed. “Then you see their gaze,” says Lamot. “This one is angry; this one is very young, she doesn’t know what’s happening and she’s scared; this one is really old and defiant.

And there’s sometimes also shame there.” When Garanger’s photos were subsequently shown in New York, the curator explains, there was a lot of criticism. “People said: ‘Are you not unveiling the women all over again by showing the photos?’” A couple of years ago, the series was on view in Algiers, showing how times have changed. “Garanger says he feels a lot of shame around this war, as a French person,” says Lamot, “so we also have the collective shame of a nation – like many German people feel about the war.” What’s striking about the images in this exhibition is that so many of them depict women. The show illustrates that everyday sexism is nothing new; throughout history, women have been expected to live up to different standards. “In terms of shame, for women, it’s mostly about their bodies, while for men, it’s more about their status,” Lamot says. “That’s a big difference. And today, when anything is possible, it has become even harder: You can have plastic surgery, so if you’re not perfect, then why not?” It appears that feelings of shame begin before we’re two years old, she explains. “After puberty it diminishes a little, but when you get older, it increases again.” For his series S, Flemish photographer Gert Jochems asked couples if he could take photos during their sexual activities. It’s an intimate act that’s suddenly made public. “He told us that at the time, the couples were enjoying what they were doing and didn’t have a problem with him being there,” Lamot says, “but afterwards a lot of them suddenly became uncomfortable and told him he had to leave. In the moment, they appear to have no sense of shame. But as soon as the moment is gone, the instinct is to be embarrassed.”

Museum Dr Guislain

Until 29 May

J Guislainstraat 43, Ghent

More visual arts this week Hannes Coudeyns • Ugly Belgian Houses For four years, Hannes Coudeyns has been photographing the country’s houses: not out of pride for the work of local architects but as a record of what he calls the chaos of urbanism (pictured). The result was his popular blog, Facebook page and now book, Ugly Belgian Houses, full of the biggest residential errors and wry captions. Publicity for the

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book, in Dutch and English, includes this show, featuring previously unseen images. Until 18 December and 4-26 January, Recyclart, Ursulinenstraat 25, Brussels

ery between viewer and the 20 subjects in this exhibition. The work of Karakatsanis, the man behind the cinematography of Rundskop, is also featured in Shame, above. Until 23 December, Alice Gallery, Land van Luikstraatje 4, Brussels

\ recyclart.be

Nicolas Karakatsanis • Ways of Seeing: Episode 1 By embargoing his images and putting out blank flyers, photographer Nicolas Karakatsanis is

\ alicebxl.com

aiming to enhance the singular relationship and sense of discov-

Animalists • Nature A group exhibition featuring works by landscape painters

Wim Ricourt and Benoît Trimborn; Jürgen Lingl Rebetez, who creates wooden animal sculptures with a chainsaw; recycling artist Serge Van De Put, who composes sculptures from old tyres; and bronze works by Carlos Mata, all on the theme of wildlife and the great outdoors. Until 10 December, Absolute Art Gallery, Dijver, Bruges \ absoluteartgallery.com

\ AGENDA

december 2, 2015

Rage against the machine

PARDON! Sorry dat ik leef Until 12 January

Across Flanders skagen.be

hen the SKaGeN theatre group first performed their PARDON! Sorry dat ik leef in English as Pardon/In Cuffs! at last summer’s Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, members were baffled by the reactions to their play. “A distinct and unusual voice in European theatre,” one UK critic observed. “In fact, walking around, we were a bit shocked that they were still serving Shakespeare rehashed at this prime European theatre festival,” says Korneel Hamers, one of three stars of the play. And that’s exactly the opposite of what this Antwerp collective is going for. Founded 15 years ago, SKaGeN is today a household name in Flemish theatre, and the group has produced highly acclaimed monologues and smartly adapted ensemble pieces. PARDON! Sorry dat ik leef also stars Clara van den Broek and Valentijn Dhaenens (pictured),

the latter of whom recently garnered laurels with his Bigmouth and Small War monologues. Inspired by a documentary by French photographer Raymond Depardon about public prosecutor grillings of a number of defendants in a Paris court, PARDON! tells the story of what happens when ordinary citizens run up against big struc-

tures and institutions. “Basically, all our plays deal with the human condition, and law courts are the pre-eminent places where this is exposed,” Dhaenens explains. “In our stage adaptation of Depardon’s text, the actors constantly flip from one character to the next and unravel a tension between man and machine, between humanity and the system.” In doing so, the actors and directors hope the audience will develop a degree of empathy for participants on either side of the table: “For the culprit, who’s processed in a routine system,” says van den Broek, “but also for the prosecutor, who has to come up with a balanced judgement for every single suspect.” (In Dutch) \ Tom Peeters

CONCERT

VISUAL ARTS

Tom Vanstiphout

Jan Fabre: 30 Years / 7 Rooms

6 December, 20.00 As a guitarist, Tom Vanstiphout is a well-respected session player who has performed with several successful Flemish pop/rock acts, including Clouseau and Milow. But Vanstiphout can also write and sing a tune. His own work is influenced less by the rock tradition and more by classic American songwriters like James Taylor. The result can

Het Depot, Leuven hetdepot.be

be heard on Vanstiphout’s fourth solo album, Playing Guitar Helps, recorded between Antwerp and Nashville. The disc’s release is celebrated with a series of club shows across Flanders. Other dates include Brussels (11 December) and Antwerp (12 December). \ Georgio Valentino

Until 20 December

CLASSICAL Brussels Music Chapel Festival: The annual Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel event is this year devoted to the masterpieces of Russian music. 8-12 December, Flagey, HeiligKruisplein \ flagey.be

FAMILY Brussels Als je maar hard genoeg rent, weet niemand meer waar je bent (If You Just Run Fast Enough, No-one Will Know Where You Are): Flemish stage director Jetse Batelaan and his Theater Artemis present a performance for children (8+) that’s all about movement: running, stumbling and falling (in Dutch). 6 December 15.00, Bronks, Varkensmarkt 15 \ bronks.be

Deweer Gallery, Otegem deweergallery.be

Veteran Flemish artist Jan Fabre is a true Renaissance man, having not just dabbled in but seriously explored the entire spectrum of artistic forms. This exhibition surveys his career as a visual artist, from the early Bic drawings that brought him international accolades to his latest anatomical sculptures, inspired by cuttingedge medical research in cognition. The out-of-the-way venue is an important part of the Fabre story, too. Gallerist Mark Deweer was an early champion of the then up-and-coming artist. Their collaboration goes back ... 30 years.

FILM Brussels Film cycle: Martin Scorsese: Series of films by the legendary American director, including Goodfellas, After Hours, The Aviator, Shine a Light and The Wolf of Wall Street. Until 21 December, Flagey, Heilig-Kruisplein \ flagey.be

Mediterranean Film Festival: 15th anniversary edition of the festival celebrating films from the area around the Mediterranean, including Africa, Europe and the Middle East, in addition to live music and a world food market. 4-11 December, Botanique, Bozar and Cinéma Aventure

\ GV

\ cinemamed.be

MARKETS

EVENT

LITERATURE

Winter Wonders

David Grossman

Until 3 January Brussels’ holiday market has become one of Belgium’s top seasonal attractions. The party stretches from the Grote Markt past the Beurs and De Munt, across Anspachlaan and the Sint-Katelijneplein, all the way to the towering, 55-metre Ferris wheel at the far end of the Vismarkt. In between

Brussels city centre winterwonders.be

you’ll find some 200 chalets overflowing with souvenirs, art, food and drink. There are carousels and an ice-skating rink. Grote Markt hosts a giant Christmas tree and nightly light show. At the heart of the market is a Tunisian village, erected in honour of that country’s recent turn toward democracy. \GV

8 December, 12.30 Award-winning Israeli author David Grossman comes to Brussels to present the Dutch translation of his latest novel A Horse Walks into a Bar (English translation forthcoming). The plot revolves around a fictional standup comedian who takes an unexpected detour during his routine. Instead of clever one-liners, the audience become witness to the protagonist’s tragic life story. In conversation with Antwerp-based literary critic Joseph Pearce, Grossman situates this latest title in his entire body of work, in which morbid humour is a recurring theme. (In English) \ GV

Brussels

Passa Porta, Brussels passaporta.be

Forest Creative Market: Local artisans’ market featuring handmade jewellery, knitwear, sculpture, decor items, chocolate and other unique gifts, plus storytelling for kids, a tearoom and a massage corner. 4-6 December, Vorst Abbey, Sint-Delijsplein 9 \ vorst.irisnet.be

BBT Online goes Fairtrade: The online magazine and Oxfam team up to host this market featuring fairtrade products, including wine, chocolate and lifestyle gifts, plus the chance to have your picture taken by awardwinning photographers. 8 December 16.00-23.00, Brasserie Midi Station, Victor Hortaplein 26 \ bbtonline.eu

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\ BACKPAGE

december 2, 2015

Talking Dutch Mingling with the Tinderellas on mutternity leave Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

rying to keep up with new Dutch words is like chasing a puppy around a park. You just about catch up with it when off it runs into the bushes. A couple of weeks ago, this column explained several newly minted words like plofkip – an overfed battery chicken, and aarsgewei – a lower back tribal tattoo. Now three Flemish “trendwatchers” – Herman Konings, Tom Palmaerts and Joeri Van den Bergh – have published a book called Futures, which lists yet more trendy words that we need to know if we have any hope of following what is being said around us. Let’s start with mingles. According to Wikipedia, Mingles are a brand of chocolates made by a British company. But Wikipedia seems to be a little behind the times on the mingles phenomenon. Voor een toenemende groep singles is ‘poly’ een levensstijl geworden – More and more single people are adopting a “poly” lifestyle, the Flemish trendwatchers say. Ze hebben geen exclusieve dates of relaties meer – They don’t have exclusive dates or relationships any more, maar spreken af met verschillende partners tegelijk – but see several part-

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ners at the same time. Deze polysingles worden mingles of mixed singles genoemd – These polysingles are called mingles, or mixed singles. Then there’s mutternity leave. Veel jonge koppels stellen kinderen uit – Many young couples are putting off having children, en gaan eerst voor de opvoeding van een hond – and deciding instead to bring up a dog. Sommige dierenliefhebbers pleiten voor een mutternity leave – Some animal lovers are demanding mutternity leave, ouderschapsverlof voor koppels die net een puppy kochten – parental leave for couples who have a new puppy. We also need to be aware of Tinderella-syndroom creeping into the Flemish way of life. Doordat we zo

verknocht zijn aan online communicatie en dating – Now that we’re addicted to online communication and dating, zijn we de kunst van het echte flirt- en datewerk aan het verleren – we are beginning to forget the art of flirting and dating. Psychologen waarschuwen voor het desastreuze effect van dating-apps als Tinder op het liefdesleven van mensen – Psychologists are warning about the disastrous effect of dating apps like Tinder on people’s love lives. When all the dating and mingling gets too much, people can find escape in Ver-teveeling, from the words te veel (too much) and verveling (boredom). Als mensen beginnen te kreunen onder de overvloed aan luxe – If people begin to groan under the burden of too much luxury, en beseffen dat materiële consumptie hen niet gelukkiger maakt – and realise that material consumption doesn’t make them any happier, gaan ze op zoek naar zingeving en authentieke ervaringen – they go off in search of meaningful and authentic experiences. Like chasing a puppy around a park.

Tweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

Poll

a. Yes. Keeping to the edges of forests takes care of our needs as well as the needs of wildlife

50% b. Nonsense. Humans are part of nature and should be able to access forests, not just the outskirts of them

38% c. Get rid of the hiking trails altogether and leave the wilderness to the wildlife. Humans are not the only species on the planet

12% Most of you agree with the idea. As long as you get access somewhere, you’re good to go. Some of you would even go so far as to kick us out of natural areas altogether. That said, a sizeable minority thinks we should be allowed to cut hiking trails anywhere in forests to

ensure that we have access to the outdoors around us. For those of us who love hiking, it’s a tempting opinion. If hikers actually stuck to the trails and left their dogs at home, it would probably be easier for researchers and conservationists alike to feel the same way.

\ Next week's question: Has your behaviour changed since the terrorist threat level was raised after the Paris attacks? Log on to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE!

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In response to: Life sciences research institute VIB opens lab at UHasselt Harry Cattoir: Very important! Also a connection to Alz as an auto-immune disease could be interesting.

In response to: Talking Dutch: Mingling with the Tinderellas on mutternity leave Amanda Tobin: Oh my god this sounds like me... I so need some mutternity leave and am sort of a mingle... Does this make me cool?

In response to: Hiking trails should avoid centre of forests, say Ghent researchers Gary Nicol: I agree (...) it’s like inviting yourself to someone’s house without being asked.

Ska Keller @SkaKeller More than 3000 ppl at #Brussels #climate human chain! (despite the weather)

Ged Robinson @gedrobinson How Murray postponed the celebrations to shake the hands of the Belgians shows he’s a true Ghent. Sorry, a true gent… #DavisCup

Madonna @Madonna Counting my Blessings in Antwerp! Thank you for a great night!

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the last word

Ghent University researchers have said that hiking trails shouldn’t cut through the heart of Flanders’ forests but stick to the edges. What do you think?

A recent study noted that hiking trails in Flanders’ wilderness areas should be limited to the outskirts so as to ensure as little disturbance to wildlife as possible. The UGent researchers also noted that dogs along on hikes cause a lot more disturbance than their owners.

VoiceS of flanders today

Building community

Home is the hero

“I’ve never detected any commitment by politicians to make up part of the community they represent.”

“He walked to France and crossed the Pyrenees into Spain to take a boat for England, with one goal: to fight for his country.”

Red Devils captain Vincent Kompany blames the problems of Brussels’ inner city on policymakers

Jozef Van Calcke of Brussels was the last missing member of the Brigade Piron, which took part in the Normandy landings. DNA evidence linked him to an “unknown soldier” buried in the Netherlands, 71 years after his death at the age of 19

Tell it like it is “I wrote that I thought he was a good president and that America is a great country. But I was honest. I also said that I wasn’t happy about violence and guns.” Eline Van de Weghe, age nine, wrote to President Obama on leaving the US, where her father was a VRT correspondent. She received a personal reply

Dirty business “I do what nobody else would want to do but has to be done.” Koos Taillieu from Kortrijk is a crime scene cleaner

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